


Snapshots

by msobsessivecompulsive



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 19:25:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2240634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msobsessivecompulsive/pseuds/msobsessivecompulsive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill and Karen's relationship in snapshots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. #1

Bill should have known that she would be up late working. He shouldn’t have assumed that she would be at her apartment, casually reading a book, her read resting against the bed headboard. Or flipping through the channels, or sitting in her huge armchair in her pajamas, sorting through papers for work. 

A pang of guilt seized him. If he had been there, she would have gone home and at least tried to relax. He should have called earlier. He should have called more the last 3 weeks.

He paused momentarily outside of her office and took a deep breath. He rapped on the door briefly. Nothing. He knocked again. Still nothing. Frowning, he turned the doorknob and let himself in. 

She was sitting on the couch, her head resting in her hand. A pile of papers sat precariously on her lap and a pen was lying on the floor, as if she’d dropped it. It took Bill a few moments to realize that she was asleep. He glanced at his watch. 10pm eastern time.

Bill walked over and kneeled next to her, and slowly moved a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face. She stirred slightly. ”Karen,” he whispered gently. She slowly lifted her head from her hands, blinking a few times before registering that Bill was staring at her.

"Bill?" Shocked, she just gaped at him.

Bill grinned. ”I was going to call, but I wanted to surprise…” He was interrupted by Karen leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him. 

"I’m so happy to see you," she choked out before pulling back and staring lovingly at him, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "How long can you stay?" 

"My flight leaves in the morning," he responded. "But I wanted to see you, and bring you this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box.

She frowned for a moment, before closing her eyes as realization dawned. ”My birthday,” she breathed out. She took the box from him and opened it slowly to reveal tiny gold studs, with pearls in the center. “Bill, they’re beautiful,” she whispered.

"Happy birthday, Karen." She looked up at him then, and smiled so brightly her face shone. 

**********

"Unbelievable. It’s UN-believable!" Karen threw her hands up in the air. A small pile of papers in her hand, she was waving them at the television screen.

"Do they honestly continue to think that if they MARGINALIZE women they are going to win this election??" She shouted. She whirled around to face her husband. "Are you seeing this??"

"Yup," Bill nodded, before taking another bite of toast.

"I mean where do they get off thinking…75 cents on the dollar WE MAKE 75 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR and now they want to dictate whether we have the right…it’s RIDICULOUS." She slammed the papers down on the desk and crossed her arms.

Bill chuckled slightly and straightened the newspaper, trying to press out the crinkles.

"Oh this is funny? This is funny to you?" She turned to him, shooting daggers. "And you continue to support the GOP. I do NOT understand, perhaps you would care to explain."

"It’s just a little press conference," Bill shrugged. "I’ve been voting Republican for years. Not going to change my mind now."

"Well sometimes change can be a good thing, Bill. Sometimes it can be a very good thing." She stopped and turned back to the television set picking the papers up again angrily and rifling through them as the press conference continued. After a couple moments of silence she whirled back around to him again. "And since WHEN was it acceptable to LOWER the cost of…"

Bill had put the newspaper down and gotten up, walking towards her.

"living, when it was…" she trailed off when he stopped just inches from her. Her breath hitched. "And….well Bill you can’t just…." she tried.

He cut her off by leaning in and kissing her. Her papers slipped from her hand and fell forgotten to the floor. Her arms snaked up around his neck, drawing him closer. 

Hr broke the kiss first and grinned at her. ”You were saying?”

"I was saying…." she trailed off breathlessly.

She suddenly drew back, her hands on her hips. ”Bill Buchanan, are you trying to distract me?” She asked.

"Perhaps," Bill murmured, leaning in and kissing her again. All thoughts of politics were forgotten.

**********

"This is the THIRD time…why couldn’t you have called?!" Bill slammed the plate back into its place in the cupboard. "I spent ALL night…and you didn’t have the DECENCY…"

"I SAID I was sorry!" Karen exclaimed. "I told them that I had to leave early, I got caught in the meeting anyway! What do you want from me, Bill?!"

"WANT from you?" Bill shouted. "I want some respect! You treat me like some second rate…I have no priority and you just…."

"That’s NOT true!" Karen jumped in, her voice shaking slightly. "I’m doing my best and for you to insinuate…"

"I am insinuating nothing," he retorted fiercely, turning from her back to the forgotten dinner which he was now attempting to place into tuber ware.

"Bill, where is this coming from?!" Karen asked, walking towards him. "You KNOW I always try to call, you KNOW that this relationship means more to me than…."

"Oh, I do?" He stopped and looked at her. "Maybe you assume too much."

"Well if I told you it did, would it make any difference?" She asked, in a low voice, almost desperately.

"I don’t know," he responded stubbornly, refusing to look at her. 

There was a brief, strained pause. ”Well if you don’t want to talk about it, maybe I should just go.” She swiped her purse off the table. “Call me when you’ve cooled down and can act like an adult.”

"Or maybe I just won’t call at all," he said so quickly, he nearly interrupted her.

She paused and whirled back around to face him. “What the hell does that mean?”

"Maybe this isn’t going to work, Karen." He turned away back towards the food, his back to her as he put more plates away.

"Are you ending this?" She asked, a note of fear edging into her voice that she was unable to keep at bay. He didn’t respond.

"Fine," she snapped. She could feel the tears coming and she blinked them away. Bill Buchanan was not about to see her cry. "Chased another one away," she tossed the necklace he had given her the other week onto the table, and slammed the door behind her on the way out.

**********

"I sit down by the fire," Bill read, "thinking with a blind remorse of all those secret feelings I have nourished since my marriage. I think of every trifle between me and Dora and feel the truth, that trifles make the sum of life." Bill paused and looked over his glasses at Karen, snuggled up beside him, her head resting on his pillow.

She blinked sleepily and yawned before smiling up at him. ”I’m awake, keep going.”

Bill turned back to the book. ”Ever rising from the sea of my remembrance, is the image of the dear child as I knew her first, graced by my young love, and by her own, with every fascination wherein such love is rich.” Bill paused again and looked down at Karen, whose eyes were shut. She was breathing in and out slowly, a small smile on her lips.

"Karen?" Bill whispered. She stirred slightly but didn’t open her eyes. Her hair pooled gently around her face, making her look almost angelic.

"I love you," Bill found himself saying out loud.

Karen opened her eyes briefly before closing them again. ”Hmmm?” She asked, before settling closer to him. “Did you say something?” She mumbled.

"No," Bill whispered. He kissed her gently on the cheek before rolling over and turning out the light.

*******

Karen opened her checkbook and pulled out the card, handing it to the waiter who smiled as he took it, promising to return shortly. Karen took another sip of the water from the glass in front of her, before setting it down carefully.

She found her eyes wandering over to the couple sitting adjacent to her. A younger woman was resting her chin on her hands as the man talked, animated, his hands going every which way. Further ahead, a middle aged couple held hands across the table. Karen found herself smiling briefly, before turning back to the empty chair across from her own.

The waiter returned and handed her credit card and the receipt, his eyes full of pity. A few months ago it would have bothered her, but not anymore. She calmly copied down the tip, and placed the card back in her checkbook, slowly placing it in her purse.

"so may i," karen whispered, "when realities are melting from me like the shadows which i now dismiss, still find thee near me, pointing upward." She took a deep breath.

"Happy Anniversary, Bill." She got up from her seat and left, without looking back.


	2. #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill and Karen's relationship in snapshots.

Hey all, here is part 2! Going to continue to churn these out; thank you so much for reading!

Karen pulled up in the parking lot, yanking the car into park. Not bothering to grab her purse she scrambled out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind her. A pillar of smoke was slowly curling up in the sky above CTU. She walked quickly towards the entrance of the building, where a small circle of people had crowded around curiously.

"Excuse me…move…excuse me please…MOVE!" Karen shoved people aside until she had reached the front of a line where a very exasperated security guard stood.

"Ma’am? Ma’am!" He stopped her as she attempted to charge past him into the building. "No one is allowed in right now…"

"I need to know if Bill Buchanan is alright!" She knew she sounded desperate. "He’s not answering his phone and there was…"

"Ma’am, please. There was a gas explosion, that part of the building is structurally unsound and we cannot allow anyone…"

"I don’t care," she snapped, attempting to walk around him towards the entrance. He moved in front of her again, blocking her. "I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do right now. You need to wait until we have more information."

Karen could feel the panic beginning to set in. She put her head in her hands, before turning around to face the parking lot, trying to catch her breath. She suddenly whirled back around and dug around her in pocket, removing her Homeland clearance, flashing it to the Security Guard.

He frowned at it momentarily, before glaring at her and moving aside. Karen tore past him, yanking the double doors open. The smell of gas wafted into her nostrils and she felt like she was going to be sick. She barreled past two security guards who tried to flag her down, but she ignored them. She opened the doors and walked onto the CTU floor. A back portion of the wall had collapsed over one of the corner work stations. Paramedics were attempting to remove the rubble.

"Karen?" She turned around to see Bill standing a few feet away, blinking at her, confused. "What are you doing…" 

She walked over and interrupted him by shoving him in the chest. ”Why didn’t you ANSWER your goddamn phone!” She was holding back tears now, and beginning to feel like an idiot.

"I did!" He looked surprised and confused. "You didn’t get it?"

She crossed her arms and looked away from him in response.

"Hey," Bill took hold of her arms. "I’m okay. Almost all of us were on another floor for a lunchroom meeting. I’m okay."

"I was REALLY worried," she tried to sound angry, but she knew she just sounded terrified. She still wouldn’t look at him, staring instead at the wall of rubble that Bill could have been buried under.

He gently took her head and brought it to his chest. She stood limply for a moment before wrapping her arms around his chest and clinging to him tightly.

**********

Karen flipped open her phone and smiled. ”Hi.”

"Hi," Bill sounded tired.

"How was your day?" She asked, putting her pen down and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Busy," he breathed out. She could hear the stairs creaking. "I feel like I could sleep for a year."

Karen chuckled. ”That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

"Are you still at work?" 

Karen sighed. ”No. I’m back at the apartment.” She leaned her head against the headboard of the bed and closed her eyes. ”I’ve been proofing papers all night.” She glanced over at the clock. It read 12:30.

"I was in meetings all day," Bill responded casually. She heard him flip the light switch on from the bathroom. "Completely uneventful."

"No fights break out?" He could hear the laughter in her voice and it was his turn to chuckle. "No. Not this time."

"How boring," she yawned almost on queue. She could hear Bill brushing his teeth.

"Not as boring as your day I’m sure," he retorted, his voice slightly muffled from toothpaste.

"Hey now." Her voice was one of mock hurt. "Tom and I had an argument today about welfare spending. I think I won."

"He’s overcompensating," Bill snorted.

"BILL!" Karen clapped a hand over her mouth so that he couldn’t hear her laughing.

"Sorry," he didn’t sound the least bit sorry. She heard him flick the light switch off.

"Are you headed to bed now?" She asked him.

"Yeah. You should too. You sound exhausted," that worried tone had edged back into his voice. Karen wished she could be resentful of it, but it comforted her.

"Yes sir," Karen’s attempts to sound like an officer taking command failed. She heard Bill chuckling again on the other line.

There was a pause. ”I miss you, Karen.”

"I miss you too, honey" Karen smiled lightly, wishing that she could reach through the phone and feel his arms around her again. She leaned over and flipped the light switch off. "There. Lights off. I’m going to bed."

"Good night, Karen," Bill murmured sleepily.

"Good night, Bill."

********** 

He’d been up all night, tossing and turning. Trying to decide what to say. Whether anything he said would make a difference. He had to try. He paused outside her office, his hand poised over the door. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," her voice carried through the door. She sounded annoyed. Marsha had shaken her head at Bill downstairs as he came in. That could only mean bad things. He opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him.

She looked up and froze for a couple seconds, before looking back down at her papers. ”What are you doing here, Bill?” She spoke methodically.

"I came to apologize. I didn’t mean what I said." Bill took a step forward, his head bowed slightly.

Karen stopped writing, but didn’t look up. Bill hesitated for a moment. ”Is there anything that…”

"Do you resent me?" She interrupted him. She looked up at him then, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. She looked powerful, her hair pulled back in a tight bun, her face stone cold. But her eyes were wounded.

"What?" Bill frowned, confused.

"Do you resent me," she asked again. "For who I am."

"I want this relationship to work" Bill took another step forward. "I don’t resent you. I think I’m…" he paused. "Falling in love with you," he finished.

Her stony demeanor crumbled away as her face transformed into one of shock.

"I don’t resent you, Karen. I was tired and I let myself say things I didn’t mean. I don’t want this relationship to be over. Do you?" He knew he looked frightened. But the thought of losing her…it scared him.

She bit her lip and then slowly shook her head, still speechless. Relief washed over him and he released his breath, not realizing that he had been holding it. 

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Bill…" she started and then stopped. He turned back around. She got up from her seat and walked over to him. She reached up and touched his face before leaning in and kissing him briefly on the lips. She pulled back and turned around, sitting down again at her desk.

Bill looked down briefly, smiling, before exiting her office.

**********

Karen took her window seat and then stopped and stood back up, pulling out the blanket and pretzels she had sat on and rolled her eyes, shoving them in the seat compartment in front of her.

She buckled up and leaned over, resting her head against the windowsill.

Everyone please take your seats. The plane will be taking off shortly.

Her cell rang, and she leaned over to pick it up. ”Hello.”

"Stop. Worrying." Bill’s voice was one of mixed amusement and concern. "I can feel you worrying from all the way over here in the terminal."

"Bill, I’m scared," she whispered, turning away from the man who was shoving his luggage into the compartment above her.

"I know," his voice was calm and reassuring. "But you’re going to be great."

"I wish you could come with me," she leaned her head against the window of the plane again.

"Me too," his voice sounded gruff. She knew this was hard on him too. "But you don’t need me."

"But what if I screw up??"

"You will." He said it so matter of factly that a laugh escaped her. She bit her lip. She could feel him grinning from the other end of the line.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You don’t have to thank me. It’s my job," he replied tenderly. She smiled and looked up to see the flight attendant glower at her. 

She cleared her throat and wiped the small off of her face. ”Bill I’ve got to go. I’ll call you when the plane lands.”

"Talk to you soon."

She clicked the phone shut.

**********

Aaron Pierce noticed her from across the coffee shop. She sat quietly her hands grasping the coffee cup. She was staring out the window, as if her mind were far away. He approached her slowly. ”Ma’am?”

Karen looked up and then smiled briefly, before gesturing at the seat across from her. Aaron took a seat and crossed his arms in front of him. ”Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

Karen took a sip of her coffee. ”You said on the phone that you had something for me?”

Aaron reached into his pocket and slowly removed a tiny bag, handing it to her. ”Bill was a friend to me, when I didn’t really have anyone. He told me if something ever happened to him, to give you this.”

Karen looked at Aaron carefully, before pulling on the drawstring of the bag. Inside was a small flower white plastic flower petal.

"He carried it around in his pocket," Aaron added. Karen could no longer see. Her eyes blurry from tears, she looked up at Aaron. "How did he get this?"

"Ma’am?" Aaron asked, confused.

"It’s from the leis we wore on our honeymoon," she managed to say. "They were in the luggage that ended up lost on the way home…." She trailed off.

Aaron still seemed at a loss. ”When I went to I.D. the body…” she started.

"I know," Aaron interrupted. There was a sadness in his eyes that Karen recognized. She wondered who he had lost. She reached over and covered his hand with her own. "Thank you, Mr. Pierce."

"Aaron," he corrected respectfully.

She smiled and removed her hand, sitting back up. ”Thank you, Aaron. For bringing me this.”

Aaron nodded and got up from the table, nodding at her briefly before exiting the coffee shop.

Karen carefully placed the small flower back in the bag, and placed it in her pocket.


End file.
